“Can we talk people off the ledge?” Jill Sorenson asked early in Comcast SportsNet’s Caps postgame show Monday night, following Washington’s 4-3 overtime loss in Game 3.

Her question made sense. Vast numbers of the network’s voting audience were saying they were “extremely concerned” now that the Capitals had gone down two games to one against the underdog Maple Leafs. Fans online were mostly immolating themselves in a blind rage. The most optimistic of them were saying that even if the Capitals came back to win this series, they would be in trouble against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the next round. There were too many references to Washington’s tortured past to count.

So, uh … can we talk people off the ledge?

Analyst Alan May gave it a go, talking about how the Caps need to move the puck faster, play with more urgency, be crisper in clearing their zone and make fewer mistakes. Then it was Brent Johnson’s turn.

“I can’t take it,” he said. “I can’t force anyone to step off the ledge. I truly can’t. The only reason why is because this isn’t the regular season. How many times can you win the Presidents’ Trophy, over and over? They have the character in the dressing room, but you’re facing the Toronto Maple Leafs, night in, night out. You know their game plan. You know what they’re going to do. You have to hit the drawing board and figure out what you’ve got to do to go against that, to shake them off their game.”

His moment of uncertainty was not out of place on this night. It was a dark one out there.

May, for the record, had some rather harsh criticism for much of Washington’s performance Monday night. Among his comments:

“I’ve had confidence in this team all season long, and I can’t understand what they’re doing right now, where the lapses are in defensive play,” he said. “A team that won the Jennings Trophy for the best defense in the National Hockey League, all of a sudden it’s not there. And it all starts in the D zone, not getting pucks out of the zone, and the forwards not doing their part to get the puck out of the zone, and then not collapsing and helping out.”

“They’ve got to start making smarter decisions inside the offensive zone,” May also said. “The shot attempts were 71 to 51 for the Leafs tonight. And that’s 20 too many. The Caps have to be even there, or they need to have a lot more. You look at what they’re doing, they have some players that are forcing passes into the slot, rather than just turning around, winging the puck to net, fighting harder for rebounds. Quick shots, fight for rebounds, have a net-front presence.”

“We saw the Leafs, as quick as they could, they just threw it at the net,” May said later. “They’re not trying to put it through ’em every time. They’re just driving to the net, trying to get their shots on, and then they’re there to hunt for a rebound.”

“The Caps didn’t adapt to what was going on,” May continued. “We saw these long chip-ins, all game long from the Toronto Maple Leafs, getting the puck behind the Caps net, and then forechecking them hard. The Caps D weren’t moving the puck. Another thing that I thought happened in this game, Mike Babcock controlled the line changes all game long. He was changing the Caps bench. I see Alexander Ovechkin with just 15 minutes of ice time tonight, not enough. I don’t care if you’re playing for overtime. This is the best player; supposedly you were saving him for the playoffs. Put him on the ice, let him play the game. Nick Backstrom, let him play the game. T.J. Oshie, let him play the game.”

And if all that wasn’t enough, there was more from Johnson, too.

“Two two-goal leads that the Caps give up; they’re going to have to go back to the drawing board, figure out why this is happening to them,” he said. “This cannot happen to this team. This team thrived in the regular season playing with a lead, and they’re not doing it in the playoffs. …

“I know sacrifice is a cliche when it comes to the playoffs,” Johnson said later. “But I mean, Game 4, guys should be putting their faces in front of the puck. No, I’m serious.”

For the record, though, the  final bit of analysis on the show belonged to Johnson, and it was a hopeful one.

“Remember, it is a seven-game series,” he said. “So you’re still ok.”